Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attended the Met Gala wearing a dress with a socialist message on it, provoking flattering comments from the media and hosts of The View, Tuesday. Co-host Joy Behar was particularly taken with the Democrat’s performance art, calling it “courageous.” But the discussion took an interesting turn when Whoopi Goldberg seemed to reveal she was surprised to learn she was part of the nation’s wealthiest “one percent” too.
Ocasio-Cortez’s dress came up after the table raved over Whoopi’s ensemble at the glitzy event that cost $30,000 a ticket. Whoopi wondered if it was “inappropriate” for her to “even be there,” or if “she's in the right place if she wants to get the wealthy on board with taxing the rich?”
Joy Behar cheered for Ocasio-Cortez’s dress, which displayed in big red letters, “tax the rich.” “I didn't mind it. I don’t mind it. I mean she goes into a situation where people are rich and she basically says we're taxing you. [laughter and applause] You know? I mean, that takes courage. It takes balls to do that,” she claimed, saying it wasn’t “the popular position” in the uber-wealthy event she was attending.
Behar admired the Democrat for “stirring things up” and making people like Sen. Joe Manchin call her supposedly mean, insulting terms like “young lady”:
I like her. I think she takes risks. I think she goes out there and goes against the grain. She stirs people up so that they get mad at her -- what did they call her the other day? Young lady. Manchin called her the 'young lady.' She’s a congresswoman and she’s very smart.
None of them brought up the hypocrisy of a congresswoman who makes $174,000 a year attending a $30,000 dollar a ticket event lecturing the "rich." While “rich” is a relative term, (nearly all Americans would be considered rich compared to the rest of the world), even Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is “rich” next to the average American. The Census Bureau’s latest report shows the Median household income (pre-coronavirus) was $68,703 in 2019.
But Whoopi revealed that she wasn’t on board with the “tax the rich” message because she fit in that income bracket (Not only her but also her millionaire co-hosts):
You know what freaked me out about this? I've been trying to figure out -- because they say the 1% -- you know how much the top 1% is considered? People who make about $421,000 a year make you part of the 1%. For me this is outrageous. You know because--Listen, in America you're supposed to be able to come and turn yourself into everything, you know?
But Behar tried to quibble, saying that income wasn’t in the billionaire class like Jeff Bezos and they were the ones who needed to pay more taxes. Whoopi wasn’t letting it go. After co-host Sunny Hostin tried to change the topic back to fashion, Whoopi vented again about punishing people who make more money:
Just know if you're earning over $523,000, this could be a problem. They don't know how much you do for your family. They don't know if you're raising your grandkids or--. I'm just saying -- I know we got a second. I know it's tight but this is real. The problem for me with all this is people don't know what you're putting in if you're making $500,000. If you're raising grandkids or taking care of parents and all kind of stuff, then you want to take more money. Then you're mad that I'm mad!
Whoopi has ranted about having to pay high taxes before on the show. Too bad it hasn’t changed her from voting for those who continue to raise taxes.
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Read the transcript below:
The View
9/14/21
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Among the attendees also was congresswoman Alexandria ocasio-cortez who caused a bit of controversy for wearing a dress that said tax the rich. Some folks said it was inappropriate for a politician for her to even be there. Others said she's in the right place if she wants to get the wealthy on board with taxing the rich. So the question is, in y’all’s opinion, what did you all think?
JOY BEHAR: didn't mind it. I don’t mind it. I mean she goes into a situation where people are rich and she basically says we're taxing you. [laughter and applause] You know? I mean, that takes courage. It takes balls to do that. Its like if I went into the RNC and said, Trump lost. It's a similar idea. [laughter] It’s not the popular position and she did it.I like her. I think she takes risks. I think she goes out there and goes against the grain. She stirs people up so that they get mad at her -- what did they call her the other day? Young lady. Manchin called her the young lady. She’s a congresswoman and she’s very smart.
….
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: You know what freaked me out about this? I've been trying to figure out -- because they say the 1% -- you know how much the top 1% is considered? People who make about $421,000 a year make you part of the 1%.
MARY KATHARINE HAM: This is the .0001%.
GOLDBERG: For me this is outrageous. You know because--Listen, in America you're supposed to be able to come and turn yourself into everything, you know?
BEHAR: What gets people ticked off is the fact that Bezos and that level do not pay taxes. That is an outrage.
SARA HAINES: They should get on board to fix the code then. The problem is it's legal and we let it happen over and over without any of these people saying, let me show you my cheat sheat, how i sidestep the whole system.
….
GOLDBERG: Now that we've done that, just know if you're earning over $523,000, this could be a problem. They don't know how much you do for your family. They don't know if you're raising your grandkids or--. I'm just saying -- I know we got a second. I know it's tight but this is real. The problem for me with all this is people don't know what you're putting in if you're making $500,000. If you're raising grandkids or taking care of parents and all kind of stuff, then you want to take more money. Then you're mad that I'm mad!
